As a Ravenclaw
by imafangirlforever
Summary: Competition, sabotage, peer pressure, family expectations. And they always said that Ravenclaw was the boring house. [featuring: refutation of House stereotypes, meta shit, eventual Hogwarts unity, and a genre-savvy Cho] OC!Cho
1. Chapter 1

**Mainly inspired by** _ **To Be a Slytherin**_ **, written by the absolutely amazing** _ **Morgana Deryn,**_ **this story aims to explore the central values of being a Ravenclaw.**

" **Ravenclaw" does** _ **not**_ **translate to "pompous arse that studies all day," contrary to popular belief.**

 **This was also inspired by** _ **Moratorium,**_ **written by** _ **Darkpetal16.**_ **I usually don't write first person (I** _ **vastly**_ **prefer third-person), so it's a bit of a challenge for myself.**

 **This fic aims to expose the potentially toxic environments created by family/peer academic pressure, partially based on personal experiences.**

 **As I was born and raised in California, I apologize for my American English. I tried.**

 **.**

 **Harry Potter is the (mostly) brilliant work of J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

It took nearly a year before the first epiphany finally hit me and I realized I was in the world of _Harry Potter._

 _In my defense,_ when one realizes that they had been reborn as a baby, I assure you that their first priority would not be recalling a captivating fictional novel series from their youth. The fact that I was _reborn_ already had my mind whirring with all kinds of emotions and thoughts that wouldn't stop buzzing. If I had immediately learned of exactly _where_ I was reborn, I doubt that my first few months adjusting to my new life would have been as smooth as they were.

The sheer boredom that accompanied being an infant hardly helped in distracting me from the wave of emotions and theories that occupied my waking thoughts. Lying in a crib gave a person plenty of time to think, and I spent most of that time mourning my past life and recalling my last moments _(my death)_. Those kinds of matters were hardly the sort of thoughts that babies were supposed to contemplate, and I overheard several whispers about what a _peculiar_ infant I was. I hardly cried and laughed, staying silent for the majority of my miniscule lifetime. The only people who could elicit a reaction from me were my parents: they had bestowed so much affection and attention upon me that it was hard _not_ to love them.

But, despite the enormous amount of free time I was allotted, nearly a _year_ passed before I finally caught on. After my discovery, I was so mortified by my obliviousness that I nearly wanted to strangle myself for not noticing sooner.

There were definitely some obvious hints that I definitely should've caught in the early stages of my infancy, from my mother tucking in the covers with a flick of her hand to my father's mysterious light shows to entertain me. But I hadn't caught them.

"Smart and quick-witted," _hah._ The irrevocable truth was that I was a dumbass.

My revelation came to me on the first of November.

It had been the wee hours of the morning when Father came rushing into my room, a blindingly bright grin on his face. Scooping me up, he could hardly keep his joy from leaking into his voice. He spoke quickly, almost as if the news he bore would disappear if he didn't tell me right away. "The word has just gotten out. At first I thought it was just a rumor, but then your mother got summoned to the Ministry and they wouldn't do something like _that_ out of nowhere unless...unless it's really true."

Father's beam grew brighter. "He's gone! Thank Merlin, he's _dead._ Gone for good."

I had never seen my father so _alive_. He was a slightly dorky looking Asian man, wired glasses shielding his almond-shaped brown eyes from view. Usually, he kept himself properly dressed (dress robes, tie, etc.) Now, however, was another story. He was still in his nightclothes, looking absolutely _exhilarated_ while still wearing fluffy bunny slippers. Raven black hair untamed and glasses absent, he looked as if he had been woken up in the dead of the night. (Which, in retrospect, was probably true.)

I stared at my father confusedly, like any other rational person with no semblance of understanding would do. A bit of drool trickled down my face, which Father immediately wiped off with a handkerchief he seemingly procured out of nowhere. "Deh?" I questioned, jutting out my bottom lip and tilting my head curiously.

For some reason or another, my father was completely _overjoyed_ that somebody was dead. If I hadn't lived with him for a year, I would've labelled him a madman. However, I _had_ lived with him for a year, and knew that my father could hardly hurt a fly...much less hold ill-will against a person who didn't truly deserve it.

"I'm so _glad_ , Cho," Father breathed, cradling me to his chest. "Wait until Kiyoko comes home. She's been at the Ministry settling matters for the past two hours, but I'm sure she'll be back soon. We were both so worried that you'd have to grow up in this twisted war. But now that he's dead, you're safe. You'll be able to go to school and not have to worry about Death Eaters, or He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named, or Pureblood nonsense...or...or _anything!"_

He abruptly stopped rambling and instead chose to kiss my forehead gently.

"Dada?" I patted his cheek hesitantly. The action would've made any adult melt, and my father was no different.

Pressing a kiss on my cheek and lifting me into the air, he exclaimed jubilantly, "All hail Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived!"

It took me about five seconds to process his words before I, quite literally, froze. Running his words through my mind again, I tried to make sense of his words. My rational thought process seemed to have completely stopped in its tracks, for all I could do was stare at him in suspended disbelief.

 _...Harry...Potter…?_

"The war is over, thank Merlin," Father murmured, almost sounding dazed. He stumbled his way to a chair, still holding me in his arms, and unceremoniously collapsed on it. "I never thought…"

Although my mind was still frozen, my ears managed to pick up the sound of a door squeaking open. Overwhelmed with an urge for normalcy, for comfort, I quickly perked up and exclaimed, "Ma!"

The door to my nursery opened as a beautiful, slightly frazzled looking Asian woman strode inside. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and unlike her usual prim appearance, her clothes were slightly wrinkled, as if she had put them on in a hurry. Although I could tell by the slight slump in her shoulders that she was tired, the woman's haggard expression quickly transformed when she laid eyes on my father and I. "Cho, Liu," she pronounced our names warmly, crossing the room and sweeping me out of my father's arms before I could even blink.

"It's really happening, Liu," my mother whispered in wonder, nuzzling her cheek against mine. "This isn't a dream?"

"If it were a dream, would you be able to feel this?" My father inched closer, wrapping his arms around my mother's waist. Mother giggled and swatted at my father's shoulder playfully, her eyes growing brighter as a faint blush dusted her cheeks. Father pulled her closer for a kiss. As they shared their tender moment, my nose scrunched together in slight disgust at the blatant PDA. Unfortunately, as a baby, there wasn't much I could do rather than stay squished between my parents' chests.

 _Ugh_ , I wasn't sure if the scene was cute or disgusting.

I attempted to worm my way out of Mother's grip, but it was too strong for me. The woman was _strong_ , I'll give you that. The fact that I was still in a baby's body probably helped.

"...bah," I said helpfully, reminding the two that I was still here. They immediately separated, their joyous gazes instead focusing on me.

"I'm just so _happy_ ," my mother murmured, her grip on me tightening as she pulled me even closer. "Oh, Cho…"

"She'll be able to go to Hogwarts without needing to fear anything at all," my father said fondly, stroking my mother's hair gently. With one hand on her back, he steered my mother towards the chair for her to sit down. "Do you think she'll take after you?"

"I hope so," my mother snorted. "Hopefully, she doesn't inherit _your_ brain."

"Hey," my father protested, sending her a wounded look and pressing a hand to his chest dramatically. He flamboyantly proclaimed, "I'll have you know that I was one of the most popular _Ravenclaws_ of our year because of my stellar grades, dashing good looks, and jaw-dropping Quidditch skills."

"I seem to recall that I scored more points than you did in my _first_ match at Hogwarts?" My mother challenged, raising her eyebrows amusedly. "You were a _horrendous_ Chaser."

"Only in your eyes my dear, only in your eyes," Father chuckled.

 _Chaser? Hogwarts? Ravenclaws? Quidditch?_

Annnnd _that_ was the moment when everything really begun to sink in.

 _...Harry...Potter?_

Not only was I reborn with memories of my past life: I was also reborn in the _fictional_ world of Harry Potter. I was living in a world of werewolves that could infect me with one bite, of dragons that could kill me with a single blast of fire, and of _ghosts_ and _magic_ that only existed in fairy tales.

I was living in a world where one could summon dragons of ice and pillars of fire just by waving around a _glorified_ _stick_.

Merlin help me.

.

* * *

.

Having been exposed to barely any human contact other than my parents for the past year of my new life, meeting so many new people at once was overwhelming. Logically, of course, my parents didn't expect me to actually remember any of these people's names, but the stubborn older side of me insisted that I had to at least _try._

Thus, having recently acquired enough strength to walk ( _read: stumble_ ) alongside my parents, I found myself at my mother's side as she greeted the numerous amounts of guests entering our less-than-humble abode.

"Kiyoko, it's _such_ a pleasure to see you again," a dark-skinned woman exclaimed, sweeping my mother into a tender hug as I awkwardly loitered beside them. My mother chuckled, and after a few seconds, pulled back from the woman's embrace. She smiled, her eyes twinkling with joy as her eyes swept the woman's figure in one cursory glance.

"You look well, Celestina," my mother observed. "Beautiful dress, by the way. I think that sapphire blue really _is_ your color. I don't keep up with the news as much as I should, but I've heard that you're still popular as ever."

"Such flattery won't get you anywhere, young missy," the woman, Celestina, scolded my mother. She nudged my mother playfully. "I want to know why you and Liu haven't attended any of my shows recently, _despite_ my agent offering you two tickets several times."

"Sorry about that," my mother apologized, and I jolted as I felt her hand gently push me forward. "But we figured that we should spend our time with Cho right now." The Asian beauty paused for a moment to let the two of us observe each other. Then, she introduced, "Celestina, meet my daughter, Cho. Cho, this is Celestina Warbeck. Her father was an acquaintance of mine in the Ministry, and Daddy was friends with her back in their Hogwarts days."

Celestina Warbeck...if I recalled correctly, she was the famous singer that Molly Weasley adored.

"Hi!" I sent the woman a toothy grin, waddling forward to hug the woman's right leg. Celestina immediately bent down to her knees so she was eye-level with me, laughing and ruffling my hair playfully.

"Nice to meet you, Cho. Do you like the party so far?" Celestina asked cordially, lips tilting upwards a fraction as she detected the slight annoyance in my eyes as I glanced over at a boisterous group of men holding bottles of alcohol while guffawing loudly. Finally, I turned back to the woman and fixed her with an extremely serious gaze. I slowly nodded.

"Food," I answered simply, the disapproving frown on my face morphing into an innocent smile.

"Ah, a full word?" Celestina looked up at my mother with a questioning gaze.

"Her first word was 'Daddy,'" my mother confirmed with a mock-frown. She sent a quick glance over to where her husband was, mingling with some old school friends from Hogwarts. From what I gathered, they had invited almost all of their old acquaintances to celebrate the downfall of Voldemort. The guests had begun to show up at noontime, and even though it was now dark outside, the adults showed no sign of stopping. Men and women ( _wizards and witches_ ) from presumably all over the globe (I had met a British ambassador from Brazil that had arrived by the Floo only a few minutes prior) had gathered to celebrate Voldemort's demise and Harry Potter's triumph.

Celestina let out a loud bark of laughter, her entire body trembling as she tried to stop the laughter that wracked her body. When her laughter had died down significantly, she managed to breathe out, " _Kiyoko Sakata Chang_ , are you telling me that you let _Liu Chang_ outdo you?"

"Her next word was 'Mama,' and it was only a few moments after," my mother defended herself weakly. I decided that now was probably a good time to cut into the conversation.

"Mama!" I beamed, hugging her. Immediately, my mother's fake sternness melted as she cooed and scooped me into her arms.

"Isn't she just _precious?"_ my mother asked proudly, pinching my cheek. She presented me to her companion once again, cooing all sorts of terms of affection towards me as Celestina looked on, amused.

"If she takes after either of you two, I'd say she'll turn out more than just 'precious'. In a few years…" Mother's companion tapped her chin thoughtfully before an idea lit on her face. With a dramatic flourish of her hand, the woman said mournfully, "Ah, yes, I can just see it: Cho Chang, Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain and most attractive girl in the school. There's no doubt that she'll break the hearts of boys from all over England whenever she decides to settle down."

 _Annnnd that was when the second epiphany hit me._

"Cho Chang, most _intelligent_ girl in the school," my mother corrected. "Assuming she takes after me more, of course. And don't you dare mention Cho with any semblance of a love life: it'll drive Liu _berserk_. I swear, that man would find a way to murder any poor lad that tries to _talk_ to Cho, much less _date_ her. What is it with—"

Although my mother continued to speak, I was zoning out and could only focus on the one name she uttered.

...Cho Chang?

It took me another three seconds before realization settled on my features. Although I once prided myself in my extensive vocabulary, my mind was so numb that it could only manage a simple:

 _...oh._

 _Brilliant,_ I was.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Omg ya'll are way too kind ahaha. :)**

 **This chapter is mainly world (family) building, diving a lot into Asian culture and some family dynamics lol. You don't need to focus all on all of these details, really, except maybe the last character introduced in the chapter.**

* * *

My mother was agitated. She was pacing back and forth in my bedroom, wringing her hands together somewhat nervously. For a moment, she halted in her steps, glancing out of the window and letting out a frustrated sigh before resuming her frantic pacing once more. Propping myself upwards with one hand and clutching my pillow in the other, my eyes trailed her movements with slight concern. I had no clue why she was acting so _different_. After a few more moments of contemplative silence, I finally opened my mouth and hesitantly asked, "Mommy?"

Now, the title slipped out of my lips almost naturally. It had taken some adjusting for me to refer to this woman as my _mom_ , but a few months after my "oh my gosh, I'm Cho" revelation, I had finally gathered myself together enough to firmly decide that _enough was enough_. I was reborn as Cho Chang. There wasn't much I could do to change that fact (sans dying once again, which I wasn't very keen on doing anytime soon). This was all assuming that this... _new life_ of mine wasn't actually some kind of strange comatic dream, of course.

( _Which was doubtful, considering I still_ _vividly remembered dying—_

— _screaming,_

— _wailing,_

— _lashing out in a last ditch, suddenly desperate desire to live—_ )

The sound of my voice startled the Asian beauty out of her trance. Immediately, a small smile tugged at her lips as she glanced downwards to look at me. Pushing a stray strand of her raven black hair behind her ear, she knelt down to meet me at eye-level. Softly, she explained, "Cho, today we're going to visit some of your father's relatives."

At this, I raised my eyebrows incredulously. Such an expression on a toddler probably looked more adorable than my intended conveyance of skepticism, but my mother seemed to understand the silent question in my eyes. Tomorrow would be my second birthday, and although meeting relatives on such a festive occasion was a common thing to do in my past life, the only relatives I had met in the past were my grandparents from my mother's side. As I hadn't met any relatives from my father's side, I had simply assumed that they were deceased.

"For my birthday?" I questioned, making sure that I pronounced each word slowly and carefully. As I began to gain a firmer grasp on my vocal chords (not being able to speak had been _frustrating_ for the first few months of my life), I began to practice speaking British English when my parents were asleep. Living with parents who spoke with British accents helped, but ultimately it took some adjusting before I could finally adopt such a tone in my voice. It would be worrisome, of course, if a toddler began speaking like a Californian teen.

"Yes, honey," Mother confirmed, ruffling my hair. "For your birthday. Now, meeting Liu's relatives might be a bit...overwhelming. But no matter what they do, they are still your aunts and uncles. I need you to promise me that you'll be polite, alright?"

"I'll be nice," I agreed. I didn't even miss a beat as I added cheekily, "If they're nice."

Mother bit her lip, eyes flashing with some kind of emotion I couldn't really comprehend, before her expression smoothened. Turning around and opening my closet, she pulled out a cherry blossom pink _kimono_ and appraised it for a moment before shaking her head and drawing out a respectable looking, scarlet _cheongsam._ The first outfit had been a gift from my maternal grandparents, while the latter had been bought by my father a month ago.

Admittedly, it was interesting to see such a blend of cultures even within my tiny closet. Father was Chinese: his dorky obsession with Confucius's works and weird penchant with _Dreams of a Red Chamber_ aside, his name, "Liu Chang," undoubtedly gave it away. Mother, on the other hand, was definitely Japanese: if her name didn't give it away, the traditional Japanese additions she made to our home definitely did.

After Mother's insistence, Father had installed traditional _shoji_ doors that made it _infinitely_ easier for me to access the gardens without their help. After all, sliding doors were a piece of cake to open in comparison to the humiliatingly too-high handles of normal doors. Another addition she had made sat to my left: an elaborate _butsudan_ , or a Japanese Buddhist altar. Inside the cabinet-looking altar, past all the small offerings my Mother left every morning, was a small statue of a Bodhisattva. Originally, it had been in another room, but Mother had quickly moved it after she discovered that the scent of incense calmed my infant self down.

After all, the familiar scent was one of the few things I remembered about my past self's home lifestyle before...the incidents leading up to my death. _(Stupid, selfish girl,_ a small self deprecating voice in my head hissed. I ignored it.)

Although the exterior of our house looked like...well, a normal, British-Muggle house, the inside had been enchanted with some kind of Charm that made the house large enough for experimentation. Beautiful Chinese paintings (that had been added by Father) and ornate Japanese wood-carvings (placed by Mother) decorated the walls.

There was a room down the hallway dedicated to my father's potion making. He was a Mediwizard, and although he had taken time off to watch over me as an infant, he had begun to resume light duties over at St. Oswald's Home for Old Witches and Wizards, a nursing home just up the street from our house. In his spare time, he'd steal away to his Potions Room (as we had labelled it) to work on some kind of batch of healing potions to send off to St. Mungo's, where Mother told me he worked in the past.

"You'll have to wear something a little more formal for the occasion. Off the bed, sweetheart," Mother fussed, gently handing me my clothes. "You said you wanted to dress yourself now, right? I'll be out of the room in a minute. Don't forget to hurry up: we'll be taking the Floo, and I wouldn't put it past your aunties to block the fireplace if we're late."

Grumbling, I reluctantly let go of my pillow and rolled off of the bed. "Brilliant," I complained. Reminding myself to keep my sentences short and simple, I continued, "Why so early?"

"I don't know either, honey. Why don't you ask your aunts when we get there?" Mother asked dryly, hurrying out of the room and calling, "Liu, have you seen my purse?"

"In the charmed trunk, dear! You know, the one the Ministry approved for the Extension Charm?"

"I already checked!" My mother's holler sounded in the hallway. I winced at the volume and proceeded to get dressed, still listening to my parents' conversation with slight amusement.

"The other one?" My father's meek suggestion was met with a frustrated sigh and mutter along the lines of " _wizards...blockheads, the whole lot of them._ "

Ensuring that I was properly dressed, I peeked my head out of my room and called out hesitantly, "Mama? Maybe use your suh-mah-ning charm?" I purposefully stumbled on the longer word, peering at my mother to see her reaction. The witch blinked for a moment, looking a little stunned, before letting out a giggle and petting my hair.

"That's my girl, such a bright one," she murmured fondly. Under her breath, she mumbled, "Bollocks, the sooner this is over, the better. I'm not losing any more brain cells because of _those_ twittering hags." I pretended not to hear the second statement and beamed at her praise.

Mother's eyes glanced to the side for a moment. She must've silently Summoned a hairbrush, for said object came rushing for my head from the living room. I let out a squeak and quickly ducked before it could hit my head. "Sorry, dear," Mother apologized, letting out a small laugh at my petulant look. She began to brush my hair, which was growing out rather nicely. Luckily, I had inherited my mother's silky black locks rather than my father's more frazzled and wavy hair.

Father emerged from their bedroom. He would have looked rather slick and elegant...had it not been for the sheepish look on his face and the sapphire blue necktie in his left hand. Letting out an embarrassed chuckle, he held up the tie. "Kiyoko?"

Rolling her eyes, my mother flicked her hand, soundlessly ( _and wandlessly!_ ) gesturing towards my father's neck. I watched, fascinated, as the necktie levitated out of my father's hands and neatly tied itself around my father's neck. "Merlin, Liu, you'd think that after so many years with me, you'd pick up how to tie your own tie. Magically or not," my mother complained. Although there was a slight exasperated tone to her voice, I knew by the mirth dancing in her eyes that she was more amused than annoyed.

"That's why I have my lovely wife to assist me, no?" Father chuckled, kissing her cheek. He then bent over to look at me. After a brief moment of inspection, a grin broke out on his face as he pinched my cheek lovingly. "Well, aren't you a pretty princess?"

" _Daddy,"_ I whined, easily falling in rhythm with his teasing. Acting as a part of this family came so _easily_ now. Although I occasionally slipped and acted a bit more mature than a small toddler should've, my parents easily dismissed my peculiar behavior for the above-average intelligence I most likely inherited from them.

"Already turning three, and it seems like just yesterday when you were born…" Father murmured.

"I'm turning _two_ ," I emphasized, wagging my chubby toddler fingers in front of him patronizingly.

"Ah, right. Two."

" _Daddy!"_

"Liu's just kidding, kiddo," Mother elbowed my father in the ribs. The Chinese wizard winced in pain. "You know, in Chinese culture, they believe that you're one years old at birth."

"Stop lecturing her, Kiyoko. She's _two_ ," Father nudged her back in the same way she had done before, although I noted my mother didn't even twitch at the jab he sent to her side. A sneaky grin threatened to spread across my face. My lips twitched, but Father glanced at me suspiciously and I pushed away the urge to smile as quickly as I could. "Anyways, Cho, I have a surprise for you~! Pick a hand."

I stared contemplatively at his left and right arms, both hands hidden behind his back. Then, I peered at his face, which was carefully blank of emotions. "Left," I decided.

I was rewarded with a smile as he held out his clenched fist and held out... _nothing_. I stared, unimpressed. With a tap of his wand, in his once empty hand appeared a pretty hair ornament. I blinked in surprise for a moment before searching my mother's face for answers. Mother, however, wasn't looking at me.

" _Liu_ , we're going to see _your_ family," she scolded. "Why are you giving Cho a _kanzashi?"_

"To piss them off, of course," Father responded cheerfully, slipping the hair ornament in my hair. "She's half Japanese and she should be proud of it!"

Mother let out a strangled groan. "Liu...are those…"

"White chrysanthemums," Father confirmed with a mischievous grin. "Perfect for a festive occasion."

Mother looked torn between tearing her hair out and giving up. I faintly recalled the little tidbits from my past life that such colored flowers in both Chinese and Japanese culture were usually reserved for funerals. It seemed as if Mother realized that my father wasn't giving up anytime soon. Shoulders slumping, she relented, "Fine. But despite everything, they're still your _relatives_ , Liu. Try not to antagonize them too much."

"No promises, but I'll try," Father confirmed with a conspiratorial wink towards me. Ushering the two of us to our fireplace, which looked heavily out of place amongst all the Oriental furnishing, he declared, "Now, let's go!"

He summoned a bag of Floo powder from one of the high shelves in the living room and allowed for me to peer inside at the strange powder. Then, he scooped out a handful and tossed the powder into the fireplace. Immediately, flames of emerald green flickered to life. The fire roared, flames rising higher into the air as they licked greedily at the pieces of wood beneath. I watched the fire warily, unsure if this was really safe.

Despite getting over the fact that _holy hell, magic existed_ , walking into a burning fireplace usually went hand in hand with first or second degree burns. Burning myself on purpose wasn't really on my to-do list. And besides...in the past, I had done so many stupid things that probably could count as "enough stupidity" for both lives.

Without further ado, Mother walked into the flames.

I tried not to scream.

"Madame Hùifang Jiaying Chang's residence in London," my mother pronounced clearly, looking unperturbed by the ashes and heat of the fire.

"Eyes shut, elbows tucked in, and no panicking. No sweat, sweetheart," Father said encouragingly, dragging me into the fireplace while tossing another handful of Floo powder onto the wood. "You can do this."

I stepped into the fireplace, squeezing my eyes shut. "Madame Hùifang Jiaying Chang's residence," I proclaimed as clearly as I could. I wasn't very keen on mispronouncing my relative's name and ending up in some random Chinese person's house. As I felt a tugging sensation pull at me, one last thought flickered in my head.

 _Goddamn wizards and their dangerous modes of transportation. Couldn't we have taken a taxi?_

* * *

Travelling by Floo powder _sucked_. It felt almost like one of those dizzying rides at the amusement parks where you were spun around at scarily high speeds, only a thousand times worse. As pretty as the emerald shade of the flames was, it was sickeningly disorientating to even _attempt_ an opening my eyes while travelling: the whirling spiral of green reminded me of the hypnotizing optical illusions that I used to try staring at as a child.

The first thing I saw was a giant silk tapestry: orchids lined with gold traced the hems of a story. My eyes trailed along the tapestry, each woven picture seemingly telling its own story.

The first scene was what seemed like an old Chinese wedding: a man dressed in embellished robes was being trailed by a large procession of musicians, lantern holders, banners, and a dancing dragon. He was holding onto a young boy, heading towards a house where I could see the bride was waiting.

The second scene showed a large, golden pagoda surrounded by a large lake that stretched miles. I could see that there was a ring of what seemed like mountains surrounding the lake, isolating the pagoda from the rest of the world. It was fairly impressive: the attention to detail in this singular scene was stunning. If I squinted, I could even see people in the pagoda.

The third scene caught my attention, for the scene looked much less Asian. Men in suits were strolling across a cobblestone street, and in the background was a man sitting on the coach box of a carriage, calmly holding the reins of his horse. None of the figures on the street looked towards their right, where shabbier buildings decorated with Chinese characters and more crowded side streets were.

Finally, the last scene was one that I could recognize fairly well: Hogwarts. With the Forbidden Forest behind it and several spiraling towers that overlooked the lake, it was hard _not_ to recognize the magical school. Although the other scenes had solely been surrounded by white orchids, this scene had a proud eagle displayed at its side, and the orchids were a notable blue color.

It was rather obvious that my father's family prided in their Ravenclaw nature immensely, something that I noticed was a common theme amongst the rest of the room as well. At first glance, a person probably wouldn't have noticed the subtle signs, but when one knew what kinds of things they should be searching for...well, it was rather obvious.

A silver chandelier hung from the sapphire-studded ceiling, and I had to mentally reprimand myself for letting my jaw drop for a second at the sheer _size_ of it. The chandelier probably could go for several thousand dollars in my past life, and considering how little wizards knew of and used Muggle inventions, I supposed that the price in the wizarding world was probably higher. There were eagles _everywhere_ , from the crystal statues placed in front of a portrait of a stern looking Chinese man to the silverware on the long, opulent mahogany table in front of us that probably could fit two dozen people.

Although I had known that my family wasn't particularly _poor_ , I hadn't known that we were this affluent, either.

" _Zuìhòu!_ " A woman's voice sounded from another room.

Mother muttered a curse word under her breath and swiftly drew out her wand, pressing it to my chest. " _Scourgify._ "

The ashes that had gotten on my _cheongsam_ immediately were cleansed. Just in time, too, for just a split second later, a rather pompous looking, middle-aged Asian woman dressed in sky blue robes appeared. Her hair was immaculately dressed into one of those ancient looking Chinese hairstyles that brides would wear back in the day: a bun wrapped with a single sky blue ribbon and decorated with tasseled pins and glimmering hair sticks ( _not, on the contrary, chopsticks)._ Her expression looked somewhat sour as she approached us. I immediately didn't like her, kind and unprejudiced soul I was.

"Liu, it's _so_ nice to see you finally join us," the woman simpered, addressing my father as Mother and I awkwardly lingered to the side. "We were starting to think that you weren't coming."

"My apologies, sister," Father said smoothly, bowing at her gracefully. Gently grabbing my wrist and dragging me in front of him, he explained, "We were just making sure that our little princess would be alright. First time using the Floo, and all. I'm sure you understand."

"Hmph," my aunt sniffed. "Well, at least you had the sense to clean her clothes after you arrived. Mother would've thrown a fit if the girl came in with ashes all over her."

"It was all Kiyoko, of course," Father said warmly, sending a smile towards his wife. "She's quick-witted enough for the two of us."

"Ah, Kiyoko. Of course." My aunt's plastered smile seemed to cool a few degrees as she turned to greet my mother. "Thank you for coming."

"No, thank you for inviting us," my mother answered cordially, wearing the smile she usually only reserved for casual acquaintances. The tension in the room seemed to heighten a few notches, and I figured that I should probably step in.

"Hi!" I chirped, trying to ooze off as many ' _I am a cute little girl, so stop glaring at my mother'_ vibes as I could. "I'm Cho. Are you my auntie?"

"Of course I am, dearie," my aunt bent over, raising her voice several pitches as most adults did whenever talking to children. "I'm Liu's elder sister. You can just call me _gūmā_. Now, why don't we go inside? Your grandmother has been dying to meet you."

"Okay," I said agreeably, allowing myself to be led inside by the woman's hand. I tried not to squirm in her grip, but her nails were digging into my skin slightly as she dragged me along.

" _A mā_ , Liu and Cho are here!" My aunt called, guiding me towards an elderly looking Chinese woman sitting on a white leather couch. My grandmother observed me critically for a moment, before gesturing for me to come and sit down beside her. I glanced towards my parents for help, but they were already greeting some of my other relatives in the room.

"So this is my granddaughter," Grandmother mumbled, stroking my cheek absentmindedly. I had to remind myself once again that I _shouldn't squirm_ under the woman's touch, no matter how much I wanted to. "You are Cho? Already so big. Liu should've brought you to see me sooner, but then again, that would've been unwise."

"Unwise?" I repeated, unable to keep my curiosity in check.

"You are turning three tomorrow. We Chinese wizards believe that it is crucial for a child to have a _zhuazhou_ when they turn three. Three is a very powerful number," Grandmother explained solemnly.

I took in the information with a thoughtful nod. Then, quite seriously, I asked, "What's a _zhuazhou?_ "

Grandmother sent me a look of disbelief before sending a sharp glare towards my parents, who were still conversing with people I presumed to be my other aunts and uncle. "Of _course_ they haven't educated you properly. I shouldn't have expected anything from a woman like _that_."

Swallowing the urge to retaliate to her insults directed towards Mother, I instead chose to address the venomous tone in her voice. "You don't like Mommy?"

Grandmother adopted a look of disgust for a moment before she concealed it with a less abrasive frown. "Your... _mother_ deals with Muggles on a day-to-day basis. It's unbecoming of someone of the Chang family, even if she married into it." She added in a lower tone (that probably wasn't meant for my ears), "Liu should've married that Xing girl I set him up with. _That woman_ isn't even a second generation Brit."

...well, alright. It seemed as if my grandmother had some sort of problem against Muggles. "You don't like Muggles?" I questioned. "Why?"

"They're distasteful, but I don't hate them," Grandmother corrected, indulging my whimsical question. "But your mother works in the Ministry. Everyone knows that those in the government are nothing more than a group of morons spewing loads of tosh left and right. She should've became something more respectable, like a Mediwizard or Healer. Do you know that all of your aunts and uncles here all are working at St. Mungo's?"

 _Ahhh, so_ that _was it._

My father's family probably disapproved of his marriage with Mother. The fact that Mother was _Japanese_ (and had moved to England in her youth), plus her job in the Ministry's Muggle-Liaison Office, probably played heavily into that. I would've continued down my train of thought, but Grandmother stood up abruptly and made a hand gesture towards one of my uncles.

Immediately, the room was a flurry of movements as adults hurried about, gathering items and spreading them on the carpet. I had barely time to blink before I was forcibly dragged to the center of the room, my relatives looking on. " _This_ is a _zhuazhou,_ " Grandmother stated simply, accepting the wand that my aunt from earlier handed her. With a flick of her wrist, the objects levitated in the air and moved closer to me. "Now, pick."

My hazy memory could faintly recall seeing such a scene before in a Korean manhwa. Although my family was _definitely_ not Korean, I assumed that this was probably the Chinese wizarding version of the ritual.

I observed the objects surrounding me critically. Scanning the perimeter, I made one last cursory glance before selecting one of them. My hand moving past the weird caduceus statue (to my relatives' displeasure) and further past the broomstick (to my relatives' relief), I casually grabbed a bag of what looked like Galleons and also snatched a tome whose cover read ' _CHARMS'_ with my other hand.

Sitting back and looking immensely satisfied with myself, I immediately looked towards my parents, who were both smiling encouragingly at me. Silence permeated the room for a few moments as the rest of my relatives took in my decision. Then, _finally_ , one of the men let out a huff. "At least she's not going to be a dropout with no ambition."

"This isn't too encouraging about her future prospects of being a housewife, though," Grandmother muttered disapprovingly. Her eyes were trained on the ignored sewing needles and cooking aprons that I passed by with hardly a glance.

Ignoring the chatter in the background, my father beamed and swooped downwards, drawing me into a warm hug. Mother quickly made her way over as well. I was transferred from my father's arms to hers. "That's my little girl," she said affectionately, stroking my hair. "You aren't just going to sit around all day scrubbing cauldrons and waiting for your husband."

"Cho isn't ever going to _need_ a husband," my father sputtered indignantly. "She's my little princess."

"Bollocks. She's going to grow up so pretty that all kinds of men are going to fall head over heels for her," Mother countered, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she and I both enjoyed watching my father's face turn from a disbelieving white to a rather worrying purple in a matter of seconds. "Now, Cho, make sure you introduce us to your boyfriend after the first date if you think he's a keeper. And if you choose to get engaged, _I_ get to be the first person to hear about it, okay?"

"She is _not_ going to date anybody, much less _marry_ anyone," Father protested. His vehemence withered away under Mother's dark glare.

Before Mother could reply, Grandmother's cold voice cut in. " _Liu_. Stop this nonsense immediately."

"Yes, Mother," Father said dutifully, his grin toning down a few notches as he gently helped my mother set me down on the floor. "Cho, let's meet your relatives now. Okay?"

I nodded in acknowledgment, allowing myself to be led around by my parents. They began introducing me to all my aunts and uncles, whose faces and names started to blend together in my brain. _Everyone was the same_ : Aunt Meilin, a Healer who worked in St. Mungo's "dangerous" Dai Llewellyn ward, where they treated various magical-creature related injuries. Uncle Rei, who worked on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's and specifically oversaw the ward that dealt with incorrectly-applied charms. Aunt Lihua, who worked on the second floor of St. Mungo's, which addressed contagious maladies like Dragon Pox and Vanishing Sickness.

 _Everyone was the same_ : cordial smiles and pleasant greetings, accompanied with a rather cold undertone. The most interest that anybody expressed about my future was a comment about my potential House. Everyone immediately encouraged me to join Ravenclaw, talking about how putting my Ravenclaw status on my Healer apprentice applications would help streamline me to a more direct route in becoming a Healer. They also mentioned that our family name probably would also help, considering how many Changs were in the wizarding medical field.

To conclude, my father's side of the family didn't seem very endearing. I could only hope that my mother's side, if she _did_ have any other family members other than her parents, would be more amiable.

I blinked in surprise as a loud _crack_ resounded from the room to my right. Immediately, I could see my father's eyes light up. At the same time, I noted that my aunts and uncles simultaneously frowned.

"Bloody hell, I need to practice long distance Apparition more. I feel absolutely knackered, and I was only down in Morocco," a man complained, stumbling out of the room that the noise had come from. Chuckling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck, the man apologized, "Sorry for being late. Turns out one of the stone tablets the rookies discovered was Cursed. One touch and the poor chap was trapped in a block of ice. It took us ages to free him and make sure he didn't catch hypothermia. Not many Mediwizards in the area knew how to treat his frostbite, unsurprisingly."

"Tsao!" Father practically bounded up to the man, embracing him heartily. With the kind of bravado usually was reserved only for my mother and I, he exclaimed, "It's been _ages_ since I've seen you. How've you been? How was Africa? I thought you were somewhere in South America before."

"Easy there, little brother," the man chuckled, patting my father's back. "Morocco was cool, and I'm still alive. Lots of interesting Potions that I've looked into and written down the instructions for. I'll give them to you later. I was in Bolivia earlier in the year, too."

"Curse-Breaking is not an excuse for missing your niece's _zhuazhou_ , Tsao," one of my aunts hissed, sending the man a vicious glare.

Looking unperturbed, the man's eyes swept the room before finally landing on me. Sporting a bright smile, he practically skipped over to me. There was a friendly and welcoming air about him that was a breath of fresh air in the rather tense room. His words ringing with sincerity, he bent down and introduced himself. "I assume you're the illustrious Cho that Liu keeps talking to me about? Hi, I'm your uncle. You can call me Uncle Tsao, alright? Sorry for being so late, kiddo."

"It's okay!" I exclaimed brightly, returning his smile with one of my own. "Are you an explorer? Like in the stories?"

"I'm a Curse-Breaker, kiddo. One of the best Curse-Breakers of England. Gringotts loves me," Uncle Tsao proclaimed proudly, firmly pounding his fist to his chest. "I get to go on adventures _aaaaalll arooound the world_ and find treasure to take back to the banks."

Although I wanted to ask more about Curses, I figured I should probably opt for a more child-like response. "Treasure?" I repeated eagerly.

" _Tsao_. Stop influencing your niece with your Curse-Breaking nonsense. Having one Gryffindor in the house is one more than we need. Or want." Grandmother sniffed. Immediately, the statement caught my interest.

"You're a Gryffindor?" I asked, ignoring the groan resounding from my mother. Her reaction sounded more exasperated than annoyed, so I figured that she was more worried about how my aunts and uncles would react rather than the potential of Uncle Tsao influencing me.

Uncle Tsao perked up, almost as if he was waiting for me to ask. "Yep! Red and gold are my colors. Best Gryffindor Keeper in years, they told me. I saved plenty of goals that your parents tried scoring. We won the Cup three times in a row from my third to fifth year."

"If Kiyoko hadn't given that penalty that last year, it would've been _us_ ," Father grumbled.

"You can't blame me, that Beater was _asking_ for it," Mother protested. "He almost knocked Bradley clean off his broom."

"Enough." Grandmother's voice cut off the conversation abruptly.

"Sorry, Mother," Uncle Tsao apologized insincerely. "I'll greet the rest of my loving brothers and sisters, now."

"Cho, why don't you go play with your cousin?" Mother suggested, gently pushing me towards a little boy who was standing sullenly next to the pompous aunt that greeted us at our arrival. (Aunt Meilin, if I recalled correctly.) "Xiao Li is five, dear. Just a few years older than you."

I reluctantly waddled over to the little boy as Mother engaged in conversation with his mother. "Hi, I'm Cho. You're Xiao Li?" I asked, offering my hand.

The boy stared at me for a moment before taking it. "A pleasure. You can call me Li," he offered politely. I noted that he was extremely well mannered: not only were his words cordial, but his posture was also excellent.

"What does your name mean, Li?" I asked, trying to start a conversation as I racked my brain for things that toddlers usually asked. Hopefully, the question was random enough that it _did_ seem like something a child would ask.

"It means intelligent," Xiao Li, or 'Li' as I now referred him as, informed me. Well, at least his parents seemed to have high hopes in him. I nodded absentmindedly, my ears perking up as I managed to eavesdrop over the conversation going on next to us.

"You look lovely, Kiyoko."

"As do you, Meilin. Xiao Li is looking finer and finer of a young man every time I see him," Mother complimented swiftly.

"Say," my aunt started, lowering her voice. "We've all been wondering for awhile, now. I don't mean to pry, but are you and Liu planning on having another child?"

Mother raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips immediately, and I struggled to keep myself from mimicking her disbelief (or, at the very least, expressing such on my face).

"So...what do you like to do?" I asked my cousin casually.

"Ah, well...I like reading books about Herbology," Li answered shyly, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"After all, maybe Cho would find it nice to have a baby brother in the house," my aunt continued, seemingly oblivious of the suddenly dangerous vibes my mother was giving off.

" _Reaaaally_ ," Mother drawled. "Well, Liu and I have Cho already and we're happy with her. Maybe in the future, who knows? But I'm sure my husband — _your brother_ — and I would appreciate it if you refrain from asking so, again. We don't want Cho to think she means anything less to us just because of her gender. In fact, I love her _more_ for it. Having a daughter to spoil with dresses suffices for me." Although I could tell that she tried to keep herself in check, some of her hostility and biting sarcasm leaked into her voice.

Aunt Meilin growled, "I _knew_ we should've never let Liu marry someone like you. You bring shame to our House and family. Without a son, how do you expect to pass on the Chang family name? No husband in their right minds will give up their name for a _woman_."

I twitched, and for a moment I felt a _surge_ of anger course through my veins.

 _Nobody_ talked that way to Mother.

All of the conversations in the room halted as the lights flickered, several of them shattering. Mother looked startled for a moment before glancing downwards and spotting me glaring daggers at her sister-in-law. Swiftly deducing that I was the source of the disruption, she sought to resolve the situation.

"Cho, honey, calm down," she said placatingly, placing a hand on my shoulder. Sending a quick glance at Father, who noticed the look and immediately made his way over to us, my mother scooped me up in her arms. "Liu, I think we should take Cho home, now. She's had too much excitement for today."

"Agreed," Father accepted immediately. "I'll just go apologize to Mother for our abrupt departure and then we can Floo back. Cho, stop looking so contrite."

I continued to glare at my aunt, my fury only growing as I heard the whispers in the background.

(" _Well, at least she's not a Squib.")_

 _("Can you believe how ill-mannered she is?")_

 _("Say, isn't that a white chrysanthemum hairpin?")_

 _("Oh Merlin, you're right. Ever since Liu married that harlot, he hasn't been the same. He hasn't returned to St. Mungo's since his daughter was_ born _.")_

I pondered briefly how my parents would take it if I tried to bring down the fancy chandelier on my snobbish relatives.

"Hey, kiddo...you alright?" Interrupting my dark thoughts of homicide, Uncle Tsao poked me on the forehead.

 _On the forehead!_

Like I was some kind of child.

...granted, I _was_ a child to him. But it still felt deprecating all the same.

" _Caaaalm_ down, Cho. Don't you think your parents and I are used to those wankers by now? Your mom is tough: she can deal with things without your help." Uncle Tsao guffawed and nudged Mother playfully. The action did wonders, her shoulders relaxing as she breathed in, most of the tension leaking out of her body. "I should know, Kiyoko packed one _hell_ of a punch back in the day."

"Watch your language in front of my toddler," Mother scolded, cradling me protectively to her chest. "Tsao, you know better than that."

"I'm back. We can go." Father appeared out of seemingly nowhere. His eyes were twinkling in amusement as he offered, "Tsao, would you like to visit our home?"

"I can't," Uncle Tsao said apologetically. "I have to leave on an expedition to Egypt in an hour. I just stopped by to greet you two and Cho. I'll try to stop by sometime, though."

"Just know you're _always_ welcome, Gryffindor or not," Mother said warmly, punching his shoulder with her free hand. Glancing at me, she added, "We should leave now. Cho looks a little fussy."

As my parents brought me back to the room with the fireplace, I continued to glare at the rest of my relatives loitering in the main room.

My relatives _sucked._

* * *

 **Any insight on Chinese traditions and/or if they referred to their relatives correctly would be appreciated. I'm unfortunately not as familiar with Chinese family member titles as I am with other Asian cultures.**

 **Chapter 3: agate (grounding), featuring Ravenclaws.**

 **Chapter 4: citrine (clarity), featuring Cedric Diggory.**

 **Feel free to drop a review :) Thank you for reading!**


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